Causal Relationship Between FDI Flow and Technological Innovation in China and Japan

The improvement of a country’s technological innovation level is influenced by the technology spillover of inward foreign direct investment (IFDI) and outward foreign direct investment (OFDI). Based on the Coe and Helpmen’s theory of international capital flow model and one-way causality measure model, this study examines the similarities and dissimilarities between the dynamic effects of IDFI and OFDI on technological innovation in China and Japan to enumerate the differences in the utilization effect of FDI between developed and developing countries. The empirical results show that the one-way causality intensity of IFDI to technological innovation in China is weaker than that in Japan, but the FDI volatility in China is stronger than that in Japan. The one-way causality intensity of OFDI to technological innovation are low both in China and Japan, and the patterns of long-term and short-term effects are not identical. According to the results of our empirical research, we draw the conclusions and proposed suggestions for using IFDI and OFDI in China and Japan.